Dungeons & Disappointment

Chapter 64: Sisyphilious

    I stood over the mining structures, staring down at the ravine we needed to cross. We were a lot deeper in the mines now, and the air was starting to get hot and heavy, and the lava at the bottom of the ravine was a good start. Spanning the ravine was another bridge, this one made out of stone, and I saw the controls for it, about fifty feet down the forty-foot ravine. A decent jump, if I was able to make it.

    "Guys, get ready on this side," I said. "I'll get the mining controls, BahnBarr, grab that rope and keep it. I'm gonna need to get back."

    Without a word, Finana popped up and kissed me, sending waves of strength through my arms. "Hope that counts for an inspiration!"

    "I think it does," I said as Ormgaul made a gagging noise.

    I turned to the chasm, then backed up and ran towards the edge, jumping right off the edge, and I sailed effortlessly through the air, and hit the platform with a loud thud, breaking my fall by tucking and rolling flawlessly. Without wasting a moment, I grabbed the wheel and turned it hard, letting the bridge fall. I held the bridge down, letting all of them cross, and when it was down, I let go of the wheel as BahnBarr started tying the rope down so that I could make my way up. I grabbed the rope and pulled myself up, making sure to hold on as hard as I could so I didn't fall into the chasm, into the bubbling lava hundreds of feet below. I finally got back to the top, and Finana hauled me up.

    "Thank you again, Trevvy." She said. "Now, let's get going. Sisyphilious awaits us."

    Right as she said that there was a hot, dry, and rather stinky wind that blew through the chasm, smelling like the inside of a dragon's throat (Which, unfortunately, I speak from experience now). All of our backs straightened at the smell, and we stared forward, at the chasm. At the very bottom, where the platforms continued, there was a small archway, leading deeper into the caver, but it was guarded by large doors, and they had a bronze sign above them. When we were finally down there, the lava nearly scorching our hairs off, I saw that the sign had letters written across them, in elvish.

    "BahnBarr, what does that say?"

    "Hmmm." She said. "I can't read."

    "Are you serious?"

    "Nope." She smirked. "It says, 'Amidst the ancient woods, so green, a race of beings, fair and keen. Swift and silent, arrows fly, in tree top realms they lie. Eternal, and ageless, their spirits blend. What creatures are these, from lore to legend?"

    "Oh, that's easy. It's elves." I said.

    Instantly, the doors shuddered, but they didn't open. Instead, the elven letters and symbols at the top started rearranging themselves, until they spelled something new.

    "BahnBarr?"

    "'In scales of ember, I soar on high, breathing fire beneath the sky. Guardian of treasures, ancient and bold, my wings unfold, stories untold. What am I, in caverns deep, a mythical guardian, secrets to keep?'"

    "Dragons?" I guessed. "Or wyverns."

    The doors shuddered again, and the letters started shifting as Finana looked at me incredibly.

    "You're good at riddles!" She said. "I never really took you for a riddles guy."

    "Oh, I love riddles," I replied. "I just wanna know what the last one is."

    "'In realms unseen, my threads entwine, a tapestry of fate, both yours and mine. No eye can glimpse my subtle art, yet all are woven in every part. Destiny's weaver, silent and wise, what am I, hidden from mortal eyes?'"